Extended Project Qualification

The Extended Project Qualification is an opportunity to plan and carry out a research project on a topic you haven’t studied in school. It allows you to develop your learning and research skills and to take responsibility for a project which you create, carry out and review entirely independently. It will help you develop your confidence in decision-making and evaluation and the skills you have learnt will be excellent preparation for university and beyond.

The EPQ is allocated 120 hours; students start their projects in Year 12 and finish them by October half term in Year 13. The project must be devised, planned and carried out by the student and approximately 90 hours are allocated to independent study, research and write-up. The remaining time is spent developing skills needed to carry out the project; taught skills sessions are delivered in Queen’s Baccalaureate classes to cover key areas.

The EPQ is a highly academic qualification which is rigorously assessed by AQA at A2 Level. The taught element covers a range of topics including time management, evaluating sources, academic referencing and presentation skills and assessment will cover all of these topics through targeted assessment objectives. The EPQ is a taster for study at third level and is recognised by academic institutions as an indicator of a student's ability to take responsibility for managing their own work.

Independent study like this is an adventure and you may come to very different conclusions to the ones you anticipated at the outset. At the heart of this project is your response: your problem-solving skills, your evaluation of the evidence and your performance. 

Your supervisor is there to guide and support rather than direct; EPQ is a self-directed qualification that encourages motivation, a strong work ethic and confidence in your own judgement.

At Queen’s we have an excellent success rate of A*/A grades for girls choosing to undertake the EPQ.